Truth be Told
by August08
Summary: Revised version. Archie's family life has been hidden ever since he arrived at New Olympia. However, that secret is broken when the gang is invited to his sister's wedding. And more secrets are told when Veritas enters the scene.
1. A Sinking Feeling

**A/N**: So, it's finally happened. I have managed to revise this story. Some of the chapters have remained the same, however a few things within those chapters have been added or taken away. And, unlike the other version this one will see more truths being told between Archie and his siblings.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Class of the Titans

* * *

It was another typical day at Olympus High. However, the fact that the Spring dance was coming up made everyone (especially the girls) more excited.

"Who do you think is going to get 'cutest couple'?"

"Either Jay and Theresa, or Archie and Atlanta."

Herry groaned in annoyance. It was only a dance and everyone was treating it like senior prom. Plus, he didn't like people gossiping about his friends and teammates behind his, or their, back. He turned his attention back to the teacher. He was giving instructions on what to do for the latest assignment. Writing class had to be the most _boring_ class of all.

_I can't wait for my wrestling lesson with Hercules this afternoon, _Herry thought.

"Hey, Herry, you done?"

Herry looked over at Archie. From the look on the Warrior's face, Herry concluded that he had already finished.

"Closet poet," Herry muttered.

Archie felt his face burn.

"Shut up," he hissed.

Herry went back to his assignment. Archie was the elite of Writing class. Everyone asked for his advice (except Herry), and he was the teacher's favorite.

_Maybe because he can reinact the battle of Troy, _Herry fumed bitterly.

The bell rang.

"Finally," Herry said.

The halls were filled with restless students in seconds.

"I swear, Mr. Ryes is out to get me," Herry moaned.

"He gave us the _easiest _assignment on Earth," Archie countered.

"_Easy_?" Herry spat.

"Herry, you wrestle with Hercules and knock giants flat without breaking a sweat, but you can't do a small Writing assignment?" Archie asked.

"A sixteen page poem on the battle of Troy is _not _easy," Herry fumed, waving the sheets paper in front of his friend's face.

"It's easy if you know the story," Archie pointed out.

"Can you help me?"

Archie looked up at his brawny friend.

"Please, Arch? I can't afford another 'F'," Herry pleaded.

"_You're_ asking _me_ for help?" Archie asked.

"Archie, _please _will you help me?" Herry begged.

"I never thought this day would come."

"Archie."

"Okay, I'll help you. But, on one condition."

"Anything."

"You have to do the rest of my homework, just for tonight."

"Deal."

* * *

"What do you have your head in, this time?"

"Herry's Writing homework."

"Shouldn't he be doing that himself?" Ares asked.

"It's no big deal, Mr. Ares, I really don't mind," Archie insisted. "Besides..." He closed the books with a triumphant smile. "I'm done," he announced.

"Good," Ares said. "Now, give me fifteen laps for making me wait."

Archie took off like a bullet. Ares shook his head as he watched his student race around the Olympic sized training gym.

"I'll never understand mortal ways," the god of war muttered.

* * *

"Archie, you're my _hero_!"

Herry nearly crushed Archie in a Hercules sized hug, or more like a death grip.

"Mr. Ryes gave me an 'A'. You got an 'A'."

"Glad I could help. Now, will you let go?" Archie choked.

Herry released his friend.

"So, what did he say?" Archie asked as the two friends made their way to Math class.

"He said you must've helped me and that anything you helped with deserves an 'A'," Herry explained.

Archie shook his head. He had never failed a single Writing assignment. The lowest mark he had in the class was a "B", and all that had to be written was a family description. Archie's was either made up or a complete lie. Jay, Odie, Herry, Atlanta, Neil, and Theresa knew family was a touchy subject around Archie. They didn't know why, though. He never spoke of his life before coming to New Olympia. Whenever someone asked him about his home life he would always steer the conversation in a different direction. After so many failed attempts at trying to understand why Archie didn't like talking about his family, the team finally let the subject drop. They would find out sooner or later. Archie always hoped that it would always be later rather than sooner.

* * *

Archie found it hard to concentrate in this particular Math class. He was somehow dreading going to the Secret Wing. His sixth sense probably wasn't as strong as Theresa's, but Archie had a growing anxiety about something.

"Mr. King?"

Archie snapped back to reality.

"What are the roots of 2x+5x-30?" the teacher asked.

"Uh..." Archie stammered.

He knew this. Odie had only gone over it ten times with him back at the Brownstone.

"It's...hold on," Archie muttered.

Something hit him in the side of the head. He picked up the paper ball and opened it. He recognized Odie's handwriting instantly.

_Thank the prophecy for needing Odie, _Archie thought.

"I'm waiting, King."

"I'm thinking."

Archie pretended to write out the workings and answers on the piece of paper. It was a good (or lucky) thing Neil was in his Math class because the teacher hadn't seen the paper being thrown. But, it was ripped out of Archie's hands before he knew the teacher was there.

"Well, King, I'm impressed. And, here I thought you were just interested in poetry."

Archie felt himself turn red as his classmates laughed. The only ones who weren't laughing were himself, Herry, Neil, and Odie. Archie suppressed the urge to jump up and strangle the teacher.

"Okay, back to work!"

The laughing subsided and the class fell quiet. Archie didn't dare take his eyes off his notebook. Whatever awaited him in the Secret Wing couldn't be any worse than this.

* * *

What do you think?


	2. The Invitation

"Don't let what that old coot said get you down, Arch," Neil said.

"Neil's right," Jay agreed.

"Mr. Hutching hates everyone, including the smartest people in his class," Odie explained.

"I guess," Archie said as he began setting up a punching bag.

Jay motioned for Neil and Odie to go. They took that as the signal that the Leader wanted to talk to Archie in private. The Charm and Brain acknowledged Jay's silent request and left the gym. Meanwhile, Hermes was busy taking calls and jotting down important messages. He had just finished taking a message from Hades when another call came through. Hermes flicked a switch and took the call.

"This is Olympus High School. Hermes speaking."

"I'm looking for Archie. I'm his mother and I _must_ speak with him."

"I will get him. Hold please."

Hermes put the woman on "hold" and flew off to find Archie. The immortal found Archie in the gym taking his stress and frustrations out on a punching bag, which Jay was trying to hold in place. The god of communication cautiously made his way over to the two boys.

"Hi, Hermes," Jay greeted with a grunt as Archie slammed his fist into the bag.

"Good afternoon, Jay," Hermes replied with his famous smile. "How was school?"

"Fair," Archie growled.

"By the way you're beating that bag I get the impression that something happened," Hermes commented.

Archie performed a round house kick to the bag. The punching bag swung and sent Jay toppling to the floor. Hermes cleared his throat.

"Archie, there's a call for you," he told the Warrior.

"Who is it?" Archie asked.

"I can't say," Hermes replied.

Archie abandoned the punching bag, leaving Jay to rest, and followed Hermes back to his office. He picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Archie. Darling!"

"Mom?!"

Hermes flinched as Archie nearly dropped the phone. The cry caused six curious heroes to peek into the office.

"Why are you..."

"Calling? Well, you won't believe it, but Heather _just_ got _engaged_."

"Yes," Archie whispered.

"What was that, dear?"

"Yes, that's...uh...great."

By the sound of his voice, Atlanta could tell Archie was lying.

"Well, if that's all you called to tell me I'll just be..."

"Archie, you _have _to come home for her engagement party. And your friends are also invited."

"Mom, I have school. I can't just leave whenever I feel like it. And I also have...other...things."

"What could be more important than family?"

_Saving the world from a power hungry god of time?_ Archie thought. But, to his mother he said, "Freedom?"

"Archie, honey, Heather will be heartbroken if you don't come home."

"She'll live."

"I'll send the jet to pick you and your friends up Friday night. So, be at the airport early."

"Mom..."

"Love you."

"Mom?..."

The line went dead. Archie groaned and hung up.

"What was that about?" Herry asked.

"We're being dragged back to my hometown to celebrate my perfect sister's engagement," Archie replied bitterly.

"All of us?" Jay asked.

"All seven," Archie confirmed.

"When?" Odie questioned.

"Friday night."

"You don't sound very excited," Herry noted.

"You'll find out Friday," Archie mumbled.

* * *

He walked back to the gym. The six friends looked at each other. Family had always been a touchy subject for Archie. Even the mere mention of the word made him retreat to his room or leave the dorm altogether.

_Looks like we're finally going to see why,_ Jay thought.

Friday night came too quickly for Archie's liking. In a matter of minutes, the friends had their things packed, dumped into Herry's truck, and Athena was driving them to the airport. Neil was making an attempt to cheer Archie up with every trick or charm he had, but for once, he had no luck. He eventually gave up, took out his mirror and admired his reflection. Archie just stared out the window, and distant look in his eyes. Atlanta felt a pang of guilt and sadness in her stomach. She didn't like seeing her best friend like this. She wanted to make him smile, laugh, something. But she remembered how _un_lucky Neil had been, and he was the luckiest person on Earth. If the "lucky fool" (as Cronus sometimes called him) couldn't make Archie at least _smirk_, then what were the chances that she could do any better?

Athena drove into the airport parking lot.

"Be safe," she called after the teenagers as they climbed out of the truck.

The group grabbed their bags and headed inside. With each step Archie seemed to get more and more edgy. The seven heroes made their way through security and waited for their flight. Jay couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. Archie was obviously the only one who knew what flight they were getting on, and they didn't have boarding passes. Jay rubbed his eyes.

_Calm down, Jay. Archie knows what he's doing. You _seriously_ need to trust your team...no, _friends_ more,_ he told himself.

He opened his eyes and opened his backpack. He fiddled around with the contents until he found the book he was looking for. With a satisfied smile, Jay opened the book and settled back in his seat.

A few minutes passed. Archie had buried himself in his music, Theresa was practicing her telepathy, Odie was studying for an up coming Chemistry test, Atlanta and Herry were playing cards, Jay was still reading and Neil was looking in his mirror. Every now and then, Archie would glance up to see if the plane had arrived. Jay tried to catch Archie's gaze, but the purple-haired hero just closed his eyes and went back to his silent musings. After a while, Archie's thoughts were broken by Atlanta's voice.

"Whoa! Check it out!

"Who owns _that_?"

Archie looked up at Neil's question. A black jet had just landed and was parking in an empty spot on the black top. He got to his feet and picked up his bag.

"Let's go," he instructed.

With confused looks, the others packed up their things and followed their friend out of the airport and over to the waiting jet. A small, carpeted staircase was opened. On each stair there was gold letter.

"King?" Jay questioned, reading the letters.

The group stepped into the jet and took their seats. Jay noticed that Archie looked disgusted. Whether it was with himself or someone else, Jay didn't know. The door closed and the jet made its way to the runway. The aircraft took off and no one still hadn't said a word. Theresa had a feeling this was going to be a _long_ flight.

* * *

What do you think?


	3. Home Coming

**A/N**: It has been brought to my attention that I accidentally skipped a chapter. I'm really sorry. Here is the missing chapter three.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Theresa looked up from the book she had been reading and looked out the window. The jet was slowly descending. She looked around the cabin at her friends. Atlanta, Herry, Odie and Neil were playing a game of cards, Jay was reading and Archie was stretched out across a row of seats, his hood pulled over his face and his arms crossed behind his head. He didn't move from his spot as the pilot's voice came over the speakers and told them to prepare for landing.

The friends quickly put their things away and waited for the jet to land. Atlanta turned around and tapped Archie on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"We're landing," Atlanta told him.

"I know."

Atlanta frowned. "Then, shouldn't you be sitting up with your seat belt fastened?" she asked.

Archie pulled the hood of his sweater back and looked up at his fellow hero. "I've done this countless times, Atlanta. I'm used to it."

The jet touched down and the process of stopping went underway. It was only after the aircraft came to a complete stop that Archie got up. He grabbed his bags and headed for the door. The others followed him. The seven friends walked through the gate and entered the airport. With Archie leading the way, the group made their way to the baggage claim.

"Arch, are you sure you're okay?" Jay whispered.

"Yes, Jay, I'm sure," Archie whispered back. He leaned forward and pulled his suitcase off the conveyer belt. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Jay grabbed his suitcase and placed it on the floor next to him. He shrugged. "You haven't really been yourself since we got that invitation."

Herry dropped a pile of bags in front of Jay and Archie. He leaned back and winced as he felt a few bones crack. Archie looked from the bags to Herry then back to the bags. Herry only had to point to Neil for the leader and warrior to understand. Neil opened one of his many suitcases and began rummaging through it. He gave a triumphant laugh and pulled out another large bag. Inside that bag was a collection of various hair products. Atlanta, Odie and Theresa walked up.

"Are we ready to go?" Theresa asked.

Archie picked up his suitcase and headed for the door. "Come on, Neil," he called over his shoulder.

Odie scratched his head. "Archie isn't looking forward to seeing his family, is he?" he asked.

Herry picked up his suitcase as well as Neil's and trudged after Archie. When they got to the door Neil let out a delighted cry. A sleek, black stretched limo waited for them outside. Odie and Theresa looked at each other. The driver began helping Herry with the bags. They both loaded the luggage into the trunk while Jay, Odie, Neil, Theresa and Atlanta climbed into the car. Archie was already inside, lost in his music. Odie began poking at the various gadgets and buttons that lay around inside. They heard the trunk slam shut and Herry climbed into the limo and took a seat beside Atlanta. Jay closed the door after Herry was seated.

A trough lined one side of the car. It was filled with ice which held a number of different sodas. Champagne glasses were also tucked within the ice. Neil reached over and pulled out a glass and a can. He opened the drink as the driver climbed in behind the wheel. The engine roared to life and the limo started forward. Neil poured the soda into the glass and took a sip. It was clear that he was enjoying this way too much. Jay still couldn't believe what was happening. First the private jet and now the limo. He suddenly realized he didn't know Archie as well as he thought he had. But, how could he have known about this if Archie had never talked about his family life?

Jay gazed out the window and watched the landscape go by. They soon left the busy city streets behind and entered a more wooded area. Atlanta sighed. It reminded her of the woods back home. The car turned to the left. The pavement gave way to cobblestones. Archie looked up, taking the earphones out of his ears.

"We're almost there," he announced.

The trees parted, revealing a massive, grey stone mansion. A fountain sat in the middle of the circular driveway. The car pulled up to the front of the house and came to a stop. The driver got out and went to open the back door. Jay climbed out of the car and looked around. Odie stepped out beside him, followed by Herry, Atlanta, Theresa, Neil, and lastly, Archie. A group of workers began unloading the bags from the trunk and took them inside the house. Archie gazed around as if he was looking for something.

"Is something wrong, Archie?" Theresa asked.

"I don't see her car," Archie mumbled. "Hopefully she isn't..."

"Archie!" came an excited, high-pitched voice.

Archie stiffened. "Home," he finished.

A brown-haired woman ran down the steps and hurried over to Archie, instantly throwing her arms around his neck when she was close enough.

"Oh, Archie, it's so good to have you home," the woman said.

"Hi, Mom," Archie grunted.

"Mom?" the others echoed.

Archie's mother turned to face the other six. Her grey-blue eyes sparkled as she examined each of them. She walked over to Jay first and held out her hand.

"I'm Rodna King, Archie's mother."

Jay took her hand and shook it. "I'm Jay."

"And who are your friends?" Mrs. King asked.

The others glanced at Archie, who just shrugged.

"Come now, don't be shy," Mrs. King encouraged.

Herry cleared his throat. "I'm Herry."

Theresa gave a small bow. "Theresa."

"Atlanta," the hunter said, standing as straight as she could.

Odie smiled meekly. "I'm Odie."

"And, I'm Neil," Neil said, puffing out his chest.

"It's so good to meet you all," Mrs. King said. She began pushing the friends towards the front steps. "You must tell me how your trip went," she urged.

"Mom, we can walk on our own," Archie said.

Mrs. King laughed. "You'll never change, Archie."

Archie sighed as he walked through the door. As soon as he was past the threshold, someone slammed into him, throwing their arms around his neck and began to squeeze him. Archie choked and tried to push the person off.

"Oh, Archie. I've missed you, baby brother," the person cooed.

"Get off, Lena," Archie gasped. "You're choking me."

Lena released her brother and stepped back. She looked from Archie to the other six, beaming at each of them. The girl hurried over and shook hands with the six friends. Archie caught his breath and turned to his sister.

"This is Lena," he introduced.

"I'm the second youngest," Lena added. "Duke's the oldest, then it's Brock, then Heather, then me and Archie's the baby."

Archie glared at his sister. Lena ignored him. She excused herself and skipped away, her long blonde hair flowing behind her like a cape. Sighing, Archie picked up his bags and headed for the grand staircase. He was followed by Atlanta. After giving each other a confused glance, Jay, Odie, Neil, Theresa and Herry picked up their luggage and also headed upstairs.

* * *

"This place is huge," Herry commented as he and Odie roamed around the mansion.

"Why didn't Archie tell us his family was filthy rich?" Odie asked.

The boys returned to the grand staircase and headed back upstairs. Everyone else was also exploring. Jay had found the library, Atlanta and Theresa had discovered an indoor basketball court, Neil had been dragged away by Leah, and Archie had disappeared. Herry and Odie continued their exploration when they got upstairs. They quickly peeked into every room they walked by, until they came to a closed door. A large "A" was carved into the wood.

"How much you wanna bet that that's Archie's old bedroom?" Herry asked.

Odie began to back away. "Remember what happened the last time we intruded in one of our friend's rooms?"

Herry took a hold of the door handle. "Atlanta was being mind controlled by a giant spider, remember?"

"We are breaking so many rules," Odie said.

Herry turned the handle and was surprised to find the door unlocked. "We'll just take a quick peek. Archie won't mind."

"We're going to get into trouble," Odie said in a sing-song voice.

The boys poked their heads inside and froze. Sitting on the bed with his legs pulled to his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs and his face buried in his knees was none other than Archie.

"Ever heard of knocking?" the warrior asked.

Herry opened the door all the way and stepped inside the room. "So, this is where you disappeared to," he said.

Archie looked up. He looked extremely exhausted. Odie and Herry walked further into the room, the door closing behind them. Archie lowered his head again as his friends explored the room. The walls were taken up mostly by posters of either musicians or wrestlers. Model cars lined the shelves and took up most of the space on top of the dresser. Odie picked up a picture and examined it. It was Archie with another boy and a girl. The boy was Hispanic with dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. The girl was African-American. Her short black hair was pulled back in tiny braids with beads tied on the ends.

"The boy is Spike," Archie spoke. "The girl is Sassy. When I first met them, they were foster kids. They had a habit of running away from home, same as me. The first time we met we ran into each other at the old race course. At the time, I would do anything to get away from the life my parents wanted me to live." He sighed. "They always gave my brothers and sisters what they wanted; it was only me they tried to control."

"That stinks," Herry said.

Odie put the picture back on the dresser. "They didn't know about your abilities?" he asked.

Archie shook his head. "They were scared. When they found out I couldn't get sick they thought the worst."

Herry looked over at him. "Worst? Worst, how?"

Archie glanced up at his friends. "The only thing that was wrong with me was my heel. What would you think if you had a kid who was immune to every disease in the book?"

Odie stiffened. "They didn't actually think you were..."

"A Hades kid?" Archie finished. "Yeah. They did." He sighed again. "And, they still do. Their excitement for seeing me was just an act."

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. He headed for the door. Odie and Herry hurried after him as Archie headed out the door. The friends went downstairs and walked through the mansion. Along the way, they ran into Atlanta, Theresa and Neil. Archie led them into the library where Jay was sitting in an armchair, obsorbed into a book. When he heard the door open, the leader looked up. Without saying anything, Archie went over to one of the bookcases and seemed to examine the books. Jay closed the book he had been reading, put it down and went to see what was going on. He looked at Theresa, who just shrugged.

"Aha!" Archie said.

He pulled on a book and stepped back. As the book slid back into place the bookcase slowly slid to the side. A dark passage stretched out in front of them. Archie motioned for the others to follow him then disappeared into the dark tunnel. Atlanta led the way, followed by Odie, Jay, Theresa and Herry. The brawn had to back track and pull Neil into the tunnel. The bookcase slid back into place, throwing the already dark tunnel into pitch darkness.

* * *

Once again, I apologize for skipping this chapter. I hope you can forgive me.

Let me know what you think. Reviews are welcome, flames are not.


	4. Spike and Sassy

**Disclaimer**: I don't own CoTT. I only own Sassy, Spike and the Kings.

* * *

"Archie!"

"Yeah, Neil?"

"You owe me a manicure! I broke a nail!"

"How did you break a nail?" Atlanta questioned.

"It's hard to see what's in front of you, Atlanta," Neil pointed out.

"He whacked his hand off of Herry's arm," Odie replied dully.

"His muscles are _hard_," Neil insisted.

Herry chuckled. He had hit Neil's hand as the lucky charm waved his hands in front of him, trying to see what was in front of his face. Herry had brought his bear paw sized hand down on Neil's perfectly manicured fingers when they brushed against his arm, thinking that they belonged to a bat or a spider. Archie groaned and shook his head.

"You can use the spa when we get back, okay?" he offered.

"You have a _spa_?" Jay asked in disbelief.

"Mmm hmm," Archie answered. "Heather and Lena made Dad build one on to the house. He didn't mind, he likes throwing money away, anything for his princesses. He didn't care when Brock's football team nearly trashed the house, after all, that's what servants are for, right? And, when Duke got a hockey scholarship Mom went out and bought him a new car. But, when they found out their youngest son needed an ankle brace to protect his heel and Achilles tenant, they waited until he was twelve to get it. And, when he innocently asked if his friends could come over they said no. The first four came out perfectly, but not the fifth. A wonky heel and perfect immunity, my family thought I was a Hades child."

Jay, Odie and Herry exchanged concerned glances. Neil's complaining had ceased. The six were now walking on eggshells. Atlanta was the one to break the silence.

"Your own flesh and blood thought you were sent by Hades?"

"I was practically raised by Maria and the other workers. She knew Achilles had to be an important link. If I could I would be calling Maria mother instead of the mother I have now."

Archie slowed to a stop. He looked around the dark tunnel hesitantly.

"What is it?" Herry asked.

"I forgot which way we were going," Archie confessed.

"You what?" Odie exclaimed.

"Relax. I have a friend who knows these tunnels better than anyone. Chloe will find us sooner or later," Archie explained.

"How about sooner?"

Neil screamed his high-pitched, girlie scream. Herry suddenly found himself holding the cowardly hero. A young girl with snow white hair, white dress, and ghostly white eyes was standing behind the group.

"Good to see you again, master Achilles," she greeted.

"Hello again, Chloe," Archie replied.

"I see you have brought your friends from New Olympia," Chloe observed.

Her eyes landed on Neil.

"Sir? Did I frighten you?" she asked politely.

Herry dumped Neil on the floor.

"Ow! Careful. I bruise easily," the lucky charm declared.

Archie rolled his eyes. "Chloe, this is Neil, Herry, Odie, Atlanta, Theresa, and our leader, Jay," he introduced.

Chloe seemed to hover over to Jay. She smiled up at him.

"Necessitas was right to make you leader. You're just like your ancestor, Jason."

Archie couldn't help but smile at his friends' shocked expressions.

"Don't be so surprised. It seems like everyone who works here knows about the prophecy," he said, putting his hands in his pockets. "How, I'm not sure."

"So, Chloe, do you know the way out?" Herry asked.

"Of course, master Hercules," Chloe replied sweetly.

"My name is Herry," Herry told her.

The white clad girl just smiled at him.

"Just leave it, Herry," Archie advised.

Chloe started to skip down the tunnel. The seven heroes followed her.

"Archie, why is she in here?" Jay asked.

"She's a descendant of Cloacina. But, instead of guarding a sewer, Chloe guards these passages," the Warrior explained.

"Why does she look like a ghost?" Neil whimpered.

"It's so the people she's guiding won't get lost again. Kind of like a car's headlights," Archie informed.

"We're here."

"Oh, beautiful day! Sunlight!"

Neil was the first one out of the tunnel.

"Thank you, Chloe," Theresa said.

"You're quite welcome, mistress Theseus," Chloe replied. "Well, master Achilles knows the way from here. If you need a guide for your journey back, just call."

The white clad girl disappeared into the darkness.

"Where are we going?" Odie asked.

"You'll see," Archie answered. And he started off towards the woods.

* * *

After what seemed like hours of treking through the trees, the silence was pierced by excited shouts of excitement.

"We're here."

Archie took off. The others ran after him. They broke into a clearing.

"Whoa," Atlanta breathed.

A huge skate park and racing track lay before them.

"I'm home," Archie said.

One of the boarders looked up.

"Arch, m'man!" he called.

"Spike!" Archie called back.

He ran down the hill. The team could only look on in wonder.

"He never ceases to amaze me," Theresa said softly, crossing her arms.

Archie and Spike greeted each other with a hand shake.

"Long time no see," the crazy haired boarder said.

"Looks like things haven't changed," Archie noted.

"Only that our purple-haired street demon's back."

"Hey, Sassy."

"Who are your friends?"

Archie looked up at the team.

"Come on down, guys," he called.

Atlanta was the first one down.

"Whoa, honey! Fast footed, ain't ya?" Sassy asked.

"Huh?" Atlanta said, looking at Archie, who smiled.

"She means you're fast," he interpreted.

"Oh, uh...yeah," Atlanta replied with a weak smile.

"You got to teach your girlfriend da lingo, Arch," Spike whispered.

"Girlfriend?" Archie repeated.

"I'm not his..."

"What's this?"

"Neil, don't touch that!" Archie yelled.

But, he was too late. Neil was sent flying down a ramp. The new friends ran to the edge of the ten foot ramp.

"Get me off of this thing!" Neil yelled.

"Pretty boy's got moves," Sassy commented.

"He's never been on a board in his life," Atlanta informed.

Archie shook his head. "Typical Neil," he said.

Neil shot back up the ramp, only he slammed stomach first into the edge while the skateboard flew over Odie's head.

"Man, dawg, you got one lucky butt," Sassy commented as she pulled Neil to his feet.

"'Luck' is my middle name," the blond replied smoothly.

Archie and Atlanta looked at each other with amused looks.

"So, Achilles, who're your friends?" Spike asked.

"I'm Jay."

"Theresa."

"Odie."

"Herry."

"Atlanta."

"And, I'm Neil. The impossibly handsome one."

Archie covered his eyes with his hand, but a smile crept across his face. Spike and Sassy chuckled. Spike put his arm around Archie's shoulders.

"Where did you find a group like this, Arch?" he questioned.

"I ask myself that every day," Archie told him.

Atlanta kicked up a board.

"So, who's up for a race?" she asked.

Archie looked at her and smiled.

"Loser buys pizza?" he offered.

"You're on," Atlanta accepted.

Archie jumped on to a spare skateboard and the Warrior and Huntress went sailing through the park.

"Archie and Atlanta never could resist a challenge," Jay said.

"M'man Archie's _always_ been like that," Spike told the Leader. "I'm glad he's found a girl."

"She better take care of him," Sassy put in.

"Sassy's been a little protective over Arch," Spike whispered.

"After what his family puts him through? Can you blame me?" Sassy snapped.

Spike shook his head.

"Loser buys pizza."

"You cheated!"

"Admit it, Atlanta, you just got smoked."

"I want a rematch!"

"Fine-by-me. If you want to lose again..."

"_You're_ the one who's gonna lose!"

"So," Spike sighed. He turned to the rest of the team. "Who wants to see to the race track?"

* * *

Let me know what you think.

No flames please.


	5. Challenges

The track was even bigger up close.

"You're allowed to use this?" Jay asked.

"It's been abandoned for years, and no one comes here anymore, so no one really cares," Spike explained.

"Where's Archie and Atlanta?" Theresa asked.

Just then, the Warrior and Huntress walked up.

"The quicker you confess that you lost, the easier it'll be to pay."

"I'm not paying for anything! You _cheated_!"

"I won fair and square," Archie insisted.

"You grabbed my shirt and pulled me back," Atlanta argued.

"Here's an idea: why don't you _both_ pay?" Neil asked, running his fingers through his golden hair.

"Yeah, split the cost. It's only fair since you can't agree on who actually won," Odie added.

"Fine," Atlanta muttered.

"Whatever," Archie replied, shrugging.

"So, you kids ready for a _real _race?" Sassy asked.

Neil looked up from his mirror.

"Say what?" he asked.

Spike threw a helmet to him. Neil squealed, but he caught.

"Watch the mirror!" he yelled. He turned the mirror over.

"Are you okay, baby? Yes, you are. You're okay," he cooed.

A bit freaked out, Spike made up the teams.

"Jay and Theresa. Odie and Neil. Me and Sassy. And, Herry, Archie and Atlanta will have to be a team of three," he said.

The teenagers grabbed helmets and headed down to where four cars waited.

"Where are the doors?" Herry asked.

Archie jumped up and swung himself into the driver's seat through the window.

"I can't fit through there," Herry complained.

Atlanta swung into the passenger's seat.

"Can you drive?" she asked.

"Can I drive?" Archie echoed. "You're talking to the champion of car racing, here."

The car groaned as Herry pulled himself into the backseat. His teammates looked back at him. Herry smiled weakly under the helmet.

"Sorry," he apologized.

Odie stared the car.

"What a piece of junk," he commented.

He noticed that Neil hadn't budged.

"Come on, man, what are you doing?" Odie asked.

"I can't put this on! I'll get a serious case of helmet hair. Do you know how hard it is to get rid of helmet hair?" Neil whined.

Odie rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Would you rather have a crushed skull if this thing flips?" he asked.

"You know, you look like you don't need a partner. So, I'll just wait up in the booth for you," Neil said.

Spike stalked over, grabbed the helmet, pushed it on to Neil's head (backwards, on purpose), and shoved him through the window.

"Hey!" Neil cried.

Spike walked back to his car, brushing his hands together. Sassy gave him the thumbs up. Neil managed to worm his way into a proper sitting position.

"Odie! I can't get this off!" he yelled.

Odie looked over at Jay's and Theresa's car.

"Jay looks nervous," he told Neil.

"Why?" the blond asked, tugging at the helmet.

"Theresa's driving," Odie answered.

"Oh boy," Neil said.

The drivers waited for the starting shot. Archie rolled his shoulders as he glanced over at Theresa. The psychic met his gaze and the two locked eyes.

"Come on, Arch, focus. If we win I'll buy the pizza," Atlanta offered.

Jay felt his heart run a mile a minute. He wasn't a car racer, he was a hero. He specialized in monsters and angry gods, not high speed racing. Theresa, on the other hand, was almost bouncing in her seat from excitement.

"Come on," she whispered.

Neil was still fighting to get the helmet off and Odie was quickly analysing the best way to win.

"All this anticipation is making me hungry. When do we eat?" Herry asked.

There was a loud _bang _and Archie slammed on the gas. The other three cars took after the leader. Neil screamed as Odie sent the car zooming around a corner. Jay grabbed the sides of the seats as Theresa quickly closed the gap between their car and Archie's. Atlanta was squealing with joy and Herry was trying to find something to hold on to. Spike and Sassy were laughing to kill themselves as they raced around the track.

"_Theresa_!"

"Odie!"

"Faster! _Faster_!"

"I think I'm going to be sick!"

"Get sick _after _we get out, Herry!" Archie barked.

He saw a flash of orange hair. Theresa waved merrily as she passed.

"Oh no, you don't!" Archie said.

"Woo hoo!" Atlanta cheered as the car picked up more speed.

"Jay looks terrified," Herry commented.

"I am _not_ losing to a drama queen," Archie growled.

The fight was between him and Theresa. He would worry about what his parents would say after, right now, he really didn't care.

"I wouldn't take that off if I were you, Neil."

"Why?"

Neil finally managed to yank the helmet off.

"That's _much _better. AH!"

He pulled the helmet back over his head as Spike's front bumper collided with their back bumper. Odie and Neil's car were sent spinning off the track.

"Odie and Neil are out," Herry announced.

"One down, two to go," Atlanta said.

Archie smirked. His sight was set on the car with the terrified Leader and speed demon Fighter.

"T-Theresa! Stop spinning the car!" Jay yelled.

His eyes were squeezed tight and his hands had gone numb from clenching the seat so hard. Theresa laughed.

"Come on, Jay, relax. I just took the turn too fast," she explained cheerfully.

"You got _that _right," Jay agreed.

There was another bang. Jay opened his eyes and looked in the rear view mirror.

"Spike and Sassy are gone," he said.

"Good. It's just us, Archie, Atlanta and Herry," Theresa counted.

"Step on it, Archie! They're gaining!"

"Not if I can help it."

Archie pressed the gas pedal straight to the floor. Atlanta and Herry scrambled to grab something to keep themselves upright.

"When is this race over? I'm gonna be sick," Herry moaned.

On the side lines, Neil, Odie, Spike and Sassy watched as the remaining cars approached the finish line.

"I wonder who's going to win," Neil said.

Both cars were neck in neck. When they flew over the line there was a bright flash.

"Photo finish? We've never had that before," Spike voiced.

Odie and Neil went to congratulate their friends. When they got to where the cars had stopped, they saw a very shaky Jay clamor out of the window. Odie couldn't help but chuckle. There was a groan of metal as Herry pushed himself out of the second car. He wasn't shaking as bad as Jay, but he looked a lot greener. He pulled of his helmet.

"Whoa, dude, you okay?" Neil asked.

"Where's the washroom?"

Herry rushed off in the direction Odie pointed. Atlanta was the third to emerge.

"That was _awesome_!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Looks like you're buying," Archie's voice sounded.

"No way! I said I was buying if we won. It was a _photo finish_, which means a _tie_," Atlanta explained.

Archie swung himself out on to the cement.

"Which means a tie breaker."

The Warrior turned around to come face to face with Theresa.

"How about a tie breaker?" she challenged.

"What are the stakes?" Archie asked.

"Loser treats everyone to pizza and movie," Theresa offered.

"You're on," Archie accepted.

The two shook hands and the deal was fixed. Jay shook his head.

_Archie never could resist a challenge, _he repeated to himself. _And it's going to get him into trouble one of these days._

It was almost dark by the time the seven heroes made their way back to the Grey-Stone (as Herry had dubbed it). Theresa and Archie were arguing about who had won the race because it was another photo finish. Odie had suggested Archie pay for pizza and Theresa pick out the movie. Of course, both disagreed and said they weren't paying for anything they didn't have to pay for.

"You just don't want to admit you got beat by a girl."

"I did not lose to a girl because I won."

"Keep telling yourself that, Arch."

"I will, because it's true."

"Guys, if you keep that up you're going to wake the dead," Jay put in.

Ignoring their Leader, Archie and Theresa continued their arguing. Jay sighed in frustration. When those two got into a fight there was no breaking them up until they fought the argument dry. Surprisingly, the group managed to get back without having Chloe to help them. Putting the fight on pause, Archie hit a secret compartment to open the bookcase.

"Okay, how about this? Tomorrow if you want a real fight we can have a fight to see who the best fighter is," Theresa offered.

"You sure? I mean, I don't want to embarrass you," Archie said.

"Keep dreaming, Archie," Theresa told him. "Tomorrow, backyard, first one down treats everyone to pizza and a movie."

"How can I refuse?" Archie asked.

The Fighter and Warrior shook hands to seal the deal.

_Yep,_ Jay thought. _"It's _definitely_ going to get him into trouble._

* * *

Let me know what you think. No flames, but contructive critisicm is welcome.


	6. Sibling Troubles

The next day found Archie and Theresa pitting their fighting skills against each other. It was a close contest of endurance. No weapons were allowed, only hand-to-hand combat. When Archie's second oldest brother, Brock asked if they were supposed to be fighting with such aggressiveness, Jay had explained that it was good training.

"I hope the twerp gets his butt handed to him," Brock had commented before going back inside.

Theresa swung her leg underneath Archie's legs. He fell backwards, only to recover with a perfectly executed back flip. The Fighter growled and charged. Archie, still regaining his breath, also charged. Herry came out of the house holding a bag of popcorn.

"Who's winning?" he asked.

"So far, it's been a tie," Odie replied.

"I hope they end it soon. This heat is _killing _my hair," Neil voiced, looking at his hair in his mirror.

Odie groaned and looked at the team's lucky charm. Neil was lucky. That was about the only thing he was good for. Theresa's grunt brought his attention back to the contest taking place in front of him. Theresa swung her fists at Archie's head, only he dodged every one. He ducked a kick that was aimed for the side of his head and rolled out of the way. He used the momentum of the roll to swing around the back of Theresa and kick her legs out from underneath her. She fell to the ground.

"Game and point," Archie announced, getting to his feet. Theresa moaned and rubbed her head. "You put up a good fight, for a drama queen," the Warrior said, holding out his hand.

Theresa propped herself up on her elbows as she looked up at her grinning teammate. She returned the smile and took Archie's hand. The Warrior pulled the Fighter to her feet.

"So, who likes what kind of pizza?" Theresa asked with a smile.

"Veggie pepperoni," Atlanta said.

"The works," Herry replied.

"Meat lovers," Jay put in.

"Hawaiian," Neil sighed, keeping his eyes fixed on his mirror.

"Pepperoni," Odie answered.

"Hawaiian. Extra pineapple."

Theresa looked over at Archie. He was smiling at her.

"But...that's _my_ pizza," Theresa pointed out.

"I know. I can eat any kind of pizza, and, you were a tough challenge," Archie explained.

Theresa smiled. "Thanks, Arch," she said.

"Don't mention it," Archie replied.

Theresa went inside to order.

"That was really sweet, Archie," Atlanta said. Archie shrugged.

"Like I said before. I can eat any kind of pizza. Well, except the works. That's the kind Duke and Brock order whenever 'the guys' come over for the Super Bowl."

Theresa came back out. "Pizza's ordered. It'll be here in a few minutes," she announced.

"Excellent," Herry put in.

"So, uh, Arch? What movies do you have?" Neil asked, continuing his reflection gazing.

"Why?" Archie questioned, his voice laced with suspicion. Neil glanced up only to be met by a very suspicious and annoyed Archie. "You went snooping again, didn't you?"

"Again?" Theresa echoed.

"Neil! How many times have I told you since we got here?! You do _not_ go snooping into my family's stuff," Archie scowled.

"How many mansions do you know that have a built-in movie theatre?" Neil asked. "Those things only exist _in_ the movies."

"It is _not_ a theatre, Neil. It's my Dad's _private _conference room. Meetings are broadcasted live and that's where he talks to the board of directors."

"Okay, okay. Scouts honor. I won't go exploring..."

"Snooping."

"Whatever. I won't go _snooping_, again," Neil promised.

"Duke and Brock get me into enough trouble as it is. I don't need you helping them," Archie explained.

"I won't snoop," Neil insisted.

Jay placed a hand on Archie's shoulder.

"You need to relax, Arch. How about after lunch we hit the mall?" he suggested.

"I'm game," Atlanta voiced.

"Me too," Theresa spoke up.

"Yo, twerp! I ain't payin' for all these pizzas!"

"Coming, Brock."

Archie trudged into the house, followed by Theresa and the others.

* * *

"Herry, please devour with your mouth closed," Odie complained.

"What?" Herry asked.

"They always put too much green pepper on these things," Neil observed.

"Green peppers are good," Atlanta told him, taking a bite of pizza.

Jay took two more pieces of his meat lovers pizza. Odie had already devoured his pizza and was typing away on his laptop. Herry shoved the rest of his pizza into his mouth.

"Herry, you're going to end up choking yourself," Odie informed.

"Hey, Theresa, do you want the last piece of extra pineapple?"

Theresa shook her head. Archie was about to take the last piece of pizza when a muscular hand grabbed it.

"Hey! Who invited you?" Archie shouted.

Brock laughed. "I smelt food," he replied.

"You're worse than Herry," Archie spat. Brock laughed again and finished the pizza. Archie clenched his fists.

"What's ya gonna do, twerp? Break out some of that Hades black magic on me?"

"Why you..."

Herry grabbed Archie before he could jump on his brother. Brock left the kitchen, laughing to kill himself.

"Let go of me, Herry!" Archie yelled.

"No way, man," Herry replied.

For someone as small as Archie, he could put up a pretty good fight. Herry struggled to force his friend into a chair. Archie sat down for a split second then was on his feet again. Jay, Odie and Herry held him down.

"Archie, calm-down,"

"I've had it, Jay!"

"What would your parents say if they found out you tried to seriously hurt Brock?" Jay reasoned.

Herry held Archie's right arm behind his back to keep him from pulling out his whip.

"You heard what he..."

"We _all _heard what he said, Archie. But, it won't help matters if you lose your cool and hurt him," Jay explained.

Archie's eyes came back into focus and his breathing calmed down.

"Can I let you go, now?" Herry asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, you can," Archie gasped. Herry released the Warrior. Archie rubbed his shoulder. "He _will_ _hurt_ for that," the Warrior muttered.

Jay ran his fingers through his hair. _It's tough being a leader,_ he mused.

The seven friends fell into a deep silence. Then, someone broke the quiet.

"How about that mall trip?"

Everyone turned to Odie.

"What? It seems like Archie's not the only one who has to get away from the brawn of the family," the Brain pointed out.

Jay turned back to Archie. "You up for it?" he asked.

"Anything to get away."

"Then, let's do it," Neil said.

"I'll send for the limo," Archie sighed, heaving himself off the chair.

He walked out of the kitchen. He was half way to the front door when a high-pitched squeal reached his ears.

"Twerp!"

Archie growled. "What?" he yelled.

"Where is it?"

"Where's what?"

The third sibling, Heather, came stomping down the marble staircase and stormed over to her baby brother.

"My phone," she hissed. "Where-is-my-cell-phone?"

"What? You think I can't understand English? You could be rambling off in _Greek_ for all I care and I would _still_ be able to tell that you were yelling about that infernal object. And, besides, I don't have it. Did you check Duke's room? Or Brock's? Or, better yet, how about Lena's?" Archie suggested. "Did you check any of those? No! Why? Because it's always the _twerp_!"

And with that, Archie opened the door, stormed out and slammed the door. Heather growled and stormed back upstairs. Neil cautiously peeked out from the kitchen.

"So, _she's _the one getting married? Sheesh. I kinda feel sorry for the groom," he commented.

"You're not the only one," Theresa said.

"Car's here."

"Come on, guys. We only have a few hours before the party to get Archie back to a reasonable mood. Do whatever comes to mind. Got it?" Jay asked.

The other five nodded their understanding. The sparkle in Neil's eyes told Jay that the model was already thinking up a plan to get Archie laughing. With a sigh and growing anxiety, Jay led his team out of the house and to the waiting car.

_I hope this works._

_

* * *

_

Let me know what you think. Any suggestions for improvement are welcome. No flames.


	7. Veritas

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the lyrics to "Let the Rain Fall Down" or Class of the Titans.

* * *

The mall was full with busy shoppers. They were obviously from the richer part of town.

"This is the biggest mall I've ever seen," Theresa gaped.

"You get used to it," Archie told her dully. "Many times I've been dragged here by Mom in an attempt to do something about my hair." A smirk played at the corners of his mouth. "Which none of them ever worked, I might add."

Jay couldn't help but let his eyes wonder. Everyone looked at them like they were going to steal something.

"Ignore them, Jay."

Jay glanced over at Archie. "What?"

"You ignore them, they ignore you," he explained simply.

"Why do I get the feeling that some of these people know you?" Theresa asked Archie.

"I'm the Hades kid, remember?" Archie whispered.

"Oh, right," Theresa muttered.

The friends continued to look around. Suddenly, Neil squealed. Everyone jumped.

"What is it?" Jay asked.

"It's beautiful!"

"Neil," the group moaned as Neil ran for a mirror store.

He ran over to the glass counter. Archie strolled up next to him and followed his eyes to a pure gold plated hand mirror.

"Don't you already have a mirror?"

"You can never have too many mirrors, Arch," Neil said, slinging an arm dramatically around his teammate's shoulders.

_As if everyone thinking I'm going to blow up the mall wasn't bad enough,_ Archie thought as everyone in the store turned to look at the two boys.

"Neil, you're making a scene."

"How much, my good man?" Neil asked the clerk, completely ignoring the struggling Archie.

"Neil!"

"For the twenty-four karat? Way beyond your price range, lad."

"Neil, let go," Archie hissed, trying to worm out of Neil's death grip. He had a badfeeling that his egotistical companion was going to mention something about his background.

"Do you have tabs here?" Neil asked.

"Neil!" Archie shouted.

"Yes."

"Is a Mrs. King a member?..."

Archie slapped his hand over Neil's mouth.

"Pay him no mind," he told the clerk. "We'll just be going now." He grabbed Neil's arm and pulled him towards the door.

"Archie King?"

Archie stopped dead in his tracks. Still holding Neil's arm, he slowly turned around. The clerk was giving him a strange look.

"I swear I didn't take anything," Archie promised.

He pulled out his pockets to prove his point.

"You're Richard King's boy, aren't you?" the clerk questioned.

Archie looked around hesitantly, sliding his hands nervously into his jacket pockets.

"Maybe."

"Has your old man treated you to anything lately?"

"Why would he do that?"

The clerk opened the glass counter and took out the pure gold mirror. Archie's eyes grew wide with horror as Neil's eyes widened with pure delight.

"You wouldn't," Archie began.

"I'll just put it on your mother's tab," the clerk replied, holding the mirror out.

With shaking hands, Archie reached out and took the mirror.

"Thank you?" he said.

The clerk smiled. "You can relax, son. You're always welcome here."

Archie looked around again.

"Some people don't think so," he whispered.

"Lousy rumors," the clerk muttered. He shook his head. "Now, you boys run along. And tell Heather I said congratulations on her engagement."

"I will."

Archie and Neil headed back out to the group.

"What just happened in there?" Jay asked.

Archie was looking down at the mirror with a look of confusion, horror, and bewilderment. His reflection stared back at him in the gold plating.

"Archie?"

Archie glanced up to be met by Atlanta's worried brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Archie answered. "Uh...here you go, Neil." He held the mirror out to Neil, who squealed with delight.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

Neil immediately opened the mirror and began examining his reflection.

"Mom's gonna kill me," Archie groaned.

"She loves you too much," Herry put in, putting an arm around the smaller youth's shoulders.

"Says you."

"Yeah, says me. 'Cause I know she does."

"You don't know Rodna King," Archie pointed out. "After she found out about my 'condition' she started treating me like I had the plague, which is kinda funny if you think about it, since I can't get sick and all." He smiled and chuckled.

The team started walking again.

_At least Archie's in a good mood, _Jay told himself.

Odie took out his PMR. "We should head back soon. We still need to get ready for the party," he explained.

Jay slid his finger across his throat. Odie glanced over at Archie who was having an argument with Neil about outward appearances.

"Let's not get Arch back into a sour mood just yet," the Leader whispered.

"I'd want a girl who likes me for my personality. Otherwise I'd feel as shallow as a one inch deep puddle."

"But, Archie, truly. Have you ever wondered how many girls would actually give you a second glance if you gave yourself a new look? For example, get rid of the purple, it's a fall color, and so last season. Then, get rid of the jacket and shorts and go for something a little exotic, leather, for insistence."

"No way," Archie fought back. "Brock wears that all the time. I am _not_ dressing like my brothers."

"You'll never like it if you don't try it."

"Neil, no. I'm quite happy with the way I look, thank you."

"So am I," Atlanta suddenly blurted out.

She covered her mouth, but the damage was already done.

"See Neil? Looks aren't everything," Jay pointed out.

Atlanta looked away as she turned a slight red. Archie also felt himself blush. Neil shrugged and went back to his mirror. Jay, Odie, Herry, Theresa, and Neil left the blushing couple alone.

"I have no idea where that came from."

"What did you mean anyway?"

"I meant that...uh...you shouldn't change yourself to make others happy."

Archie still wasn't satisfied. "And?" he pressed.

"And...I...like you for who you are," Atlanta mumbled.

Archie smiled. "So, would you consider being my date for the party?" he asked.

Atlanta felt herself go red even more. But, she smiled and nodded.

"I would."

Archie held out his hand and Atlanta took it. The two friends headed back to the parking lot where the others were waiting in the car. Herry looked out the window and smiled.

"Jay, check it out," he whispered.

Jay followed Herry's gaze and his jaw dropped. "Well, what do ya know? Hand in hand, finally."

Archie opened the door and Atlanta slid in beside Jay. Archie got in and closed the door.

"Where to, sir?"

"Back to the house, Rogers. We have a party to get ready for," Archie said.

The car pulled out of the parking lot and headed back for the Grey-Stone.

* * *

The following hours after returning to the mansion, the seven friends were fitted for outfits, received unwanted haircuts and, in Archie's case, recoloring of hair.

"Stop squirming, twerp, you're going to get dye all over your clothes."

"I wish you'd stop calling me that."

Lena flicked Archie's ear. "Shut up so I can concentrate," she snapped.

"Concentrate? On what?" Archie asked.

Lena scanned her line of hair dye. She picked up a bottle of purple dye. It was nearly empty.

Archie couldn't help but smirk. "Guess I forgot to replace that one," he joked.

Lena slapped him in the back of the head. "Do you know how expensive this is?" she asked.

Archie shrugged. "I'm sure you have _more_ than enough money to waste on that type of stuff," he replied.

Lena was tempted to use her blue dye, but her mother would have a fit. So, instead, she chose black. Meanwhile, the others were getting changed into more formal clothes. Herry was struggling to fit into a suit jacket.

"It's a bit tight in the shoulders." Herry felt like ripping the suit off. "I feel like a scarecrow," he mentioned to Jay.

The Leader was already dressed in a black suit and tie and was in the process of getting his hair gelled down. Odie and Neil were dressed and ready to go.

"I wonder how Archie's holding up," the Brain pondered.

"I'm sure he's fine," Neil replied, gazing in his mirror.

"You should have just dyed my hair orange! I look like something out of a James Bond movie!"

"Mom and Heather didn't want you parading around with that awful purple hair!"

"To Hades with what Heather wants!"

Archie stormed into the room and slammed the door.

"Archie?"

Archie turned around. Herry, Odie, Jay and Neil were staring at him.

"What?" Archie snapped.

"Dude, what happened to your hair?" Herry asked.

Archie's hair was no longer his trademark purple, but a jet black. It was held down by nearly a full bottle of hair gel and was in the style of a stereotypical undercover spy, slick and combed back.

"This is what happens when your mother puts your fashion model sister in charge," Archie said.

"Remind me never to ask Lena for hair advice," Neil said, covering his hair with his hands.

"Like you need it?" Archie asked, walking over to the closet. He took out a suit. "Herry, I think you took mine."

"No wonder it was so small."

Herry took off the jacket and Archie gave him the right jacket for his suit.

"Interesting family I've ever seen," Odie put in. "Duke and Brock were fighting over Atlanta and Theresa."

"They were what?" Jay asked.

"Calm down, Jay. Theresa said that she was going with you and Atlanta said that she was going with Archie," Odie finished.

"Finally got up the courage to ask Atlanta, huh?" Neil asked, turning to Archie. The Warrior smiled weakly.

"Here you go, buddy."

Archie took the suit jacket from Herry. It was a bit stretched, but it wasn't too bad.

"There you go, sweety. All done."

The hair dresser packed up her things and left the room. Jay looked at his reflection.

"All this for one night?" he asked.

Archie pulled on a white dress shirt and buttoned it up. "I haven't worn a suit since my aunt and uncle got married. And that was six years ago," he said.

Herry pulled on his jacket. "Not bad," he said.

"Does anyone know how to tie a tie?" Archie asked, holding up the long piece of cloth.

"Here. I'll help you," Jay offered. He took the tie and put it around Archie's neck. He then began to process of tying it.

"How do you think the girls are doing?" Archie asked.

"I'm sure they're having fun," Jay replied with a smile.

"Especially with Atlanta."

"Boys. Time to go," Mrs. King called. "We don't want to be late.

Jay tightened the knot and went to the door. "We'll be right down, Mrs. King," he called.

"This is nuts," Archie commented, looking at himself in the mirror. "I don't recognize myself. I'm glad Ares isn't here. He'd have a fit."

"Come on, buddy, you look great," Herry said.

The five boys made their way downstairs. Mrs. King squealed with delight when she saw Archie.

"Oh, my baby boy looks so grown up. Just like his father."

"Please, don't say that, Mom."

"I'll go tell Rogers to get the limo ready."

And with that, Mrs. King headed out the door. "Well, that went well," Archie told himself.

"Archie?"

Archie turned around as Theresa came down the stairs. "Don't you look...charming," she stammered.

"Not as charming as your date," Archie pointed out.

Theresa turned to face Jay. Her heart skipped a beat. It had become way too warm all of a sudden.

"Hey," Jay greeted.

"Hey," Theresa replied.

"You look beautiful."

"And, you look handsome."

Theresa spared a glance at Neil. A sly smirk crossed her face. "Even more handsome than Neil," she said loudly.

Neil shot his gaze over to Jay and Theresa.

"What?" he cried.

"You have some serious competition, Neil," Theresa warned, locking her arm around Jay's. "Better watch out or your title will be taken."

Jay and Theresa headed out the door. Archie, Odie and Herry burst out laughing at Neil's horrified look.

"What's so funny?"

Archie felt his heart stop. He slowly turned around. It was like a fire had started in his veins. Atlanta stood before him. She was dressed in a dark red strapless dress. Her hair fell down around her shoulders. If he hadn't known her for three years, Archie would never have guessed he was looking at Atlanta.

"Say something."

"Uh..."

Chuckling, Herry nudged Archie closer to the Huntress. "Good luck," he whispered before he headed out the door. Odie and Neil followed.

"You okay?"

"I'm...fine," Archie replied, pulling at his collar. It was _way_ too warm.

"How do I look?" Atlanta asked nervously.

_Spit it out, Archie. But, don't go into poetic drive,_ Archie instructed. He took Atlanta's hand. "You put Aphrodite to shame," he said, giving her hand a gentle kiss.

Atlanta smiled. "And you put Adonis to shame," she replied.

Archie curved his arm.

"Shall we?"

Atlanta linked her arm with Archie's.

"Let's."

The friends headed for the car. This was going to be an interesting night.

* * *

The ballroom was decorated for a wedding reception, not an engagement party. But, he didn't care too much. People didn't look at him strange and he had the girl of his dreams standing beside him. He felt completely different.

"Little Archie King. My, how you've grown."

"Hello, Mrs. Pearl. How are you this evening?"

"Couldn't be better. And, who is your _darling_ girlfriend?"

Atlanta went as red as her hair. "I'm...Atlanta," she answered.

There was no point in telling these people she wasn't Archie's girlfriend.

_Might as well play along,_ she reasoned.

Mrs. Pearl winked at Archie. "Been getting tips from your brothers?" she asked.

"Not really," Archie admitted. Suddenly, a hard hand landed on his shoulder.

"We tought him everything he knows, Mrs. Pearl."

_Duke and Brock. Great._

"It's so nice to see you boys finally getting along," Mrs. Pearl cooed.

Archie forced a smile, but, Duke's grip was crushing his shoulder.

"Well, I must be off. I want to talk to your mother before the banquet starts. Ta ta."

Mrs. Pearl walked off. Not being able to take anymore, Archie grabbed Duke's hand and hit a pressure point. The hockey player yelped and pulled away.

"You're pretty strong, twerp," Duke said, rubbing his hand.

"Nice of you to drop by," Archie spat. "I didn't need to see you two tonight."

"We're family, Arch," Brock pointed out.

"Unforunately," Archie muttered. Atlanta snickered. Duke and Brock looked at each other with confused looks.

"Well, nice talking to you. But, we have to go find a table. See ya."

Archie and Atlanta walked off. They found the others sitting at a table near the middle of the hall. Archie pulled out a chair for Atlanta. She sat down with a smile. Archie helped push the chair back in.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure."

Archie took off his jacket and placed it on the back of his chair before heading over to the table where the drinks were. A few people were just leaving when he arrived. Archie reached for a glass but someone got it before him. He frowned and looked at the person who took the glass. His eyes widened.

"Misty?"

"Archie?"

"Cous, it's you!"

Atlanta looked over her shoulder at her companion. He was talking to a girl with blond hair. She looked like someone from Ancient Greece.

"Are you speaking?"

"For my sister? I'd rather take on Cronus."

Misty giggled. "I'm sure you would. Cronus sounds a lot easier to handle," she said in a low voice. She gave Archie a playful wink.

Archie was grateful that not everyone in his family was Greek.

"Misty, dear," someone called.

"I have to go. I'm singing and I have to get ready."

"Okay. See you after? I want to introduce you to my friends."

Misty agreed and ran off. Archie got two drinks for himself and Atlanta and headed back to the table.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Atlanta asked.

"My cousin," Archie answered. He sat down and handed Atlanta her drink.

"Thanks."

The lights went out and music began to play. As if by magic, the hall was filled with floating stars. Misty's siren-like voice filled the quiet hall.

_Let's go back  
Back to the beginning  
Back to when the earth, the sun, the stars all aligned._

A few stars aligned and a beam of light shot down the line.

_'Cause perfect didn't feel so perfect  
Trying to fit a square into a circle  
Was no life  
I defy_

As the chorus started, what seemed like real rain poured from the ceiling.

_Let the rain fall down  
And wake my dreams  
Let it wash away  
My sanity  
'cause I wanna feel the thunder  
I wanna scream  
Let the rain fall down  
I'm coming clean, I'm coming clean_

Archie felt something tickle his neck. He reached his hand up to catch whatever it was, but found out that the hair dye was washing out.

_I'm shedding  
Shedding every color  
Trying to find a pigment of truth  
Beneath my skin  
O-ooh_

_'Cause different  
Doesn't feel so different  
And going out is better  
Then always staying in  
Feel the wind_

_Let the rain fall down  
And wake my dreams  
Let it wash away  
My sanity  
'cause I wanna feel the thunder  
I wanna scream  
Let the rain fall down  
I'm coming clean, I'm coming clean_

_Rain fall down  
I'm coming clean  
Rain fall down  
I hear  
Rain Fall Down  
Let the rain fall  
Let the rain fall  
I'm coming..._

_Let the rain fall down  
And wake my dreams  
Let it wash away  
My sanity  
'cause I wanna feel the thunder  
I wanna scream  
Let the rain fall down  
I'm coming clean_

_Let the rain fall down  
And wake my dreams (I'm coming clean)  
Let it wash away  
My sanity (I'm coming clean)  
'cause I wanna feel the thunder (Let the rain fall)  
I wanna scream (Let the rain fall)  
Let the rain fall down (Let the rain fall)  
I'm coming clean..._

_Let's go back  
Back to the beginning_

When Misty finished the song everyone clapped and cheered. Archie took the opportunity to excuse himself and headed for the washroom. Jay also excused himself and went after Archie.

"What a mess."

"Arch? You okay?"

"Typical Misty."

"Whoa. What happened to you?"

Archie wiped the hair dye off of his neck and face. "Apparently, Lena put in washable hair dye," he muttered.

"Need any help?" Jay asked.

"No thanks, I got it," Archie answered.

"Okay, if you need me you can get me on the PMR," Jay replied.

He went back out to the hall. Archie finished cleaning himself up and looked at his reflection. He sighed.

"So much for 'not parading around with that awful purple hair'."

He couldn't help but imitate Lena. She was so fun to pick on. Archie tossed the paper towel in the waste basket and headed out the door. When he rounded the corner he bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," the person apologized.

"No, it's my fault," Archie admitted. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

Archie rubbed his head and looked to see who he bumped into. It was a woman that looked strangely familiar. She was almost as tall as Herry, with jet black hair with silver streaks running through it. She wore a long black dress. The dress had something of a cloth belt with a buckle that was shaped like a "V".

"Hey, Arch. Mother wants to see you."

Archie tried to smile at Duke, but he could only force it. "Sure thing, Duke. I'll be right there," he replied.

Duke walked away. The woman was shaking her head.

"Is something wrong?" Archie asked.

"It's a shame you have to force something as wonderful as a smile to a family member."

"You don't know my family."

The woman looked thoughtful. "Hm, I suppose you're right. But, listen to me. Where are my manners? My name is Veritas."

She extended her hand. Archie took it.

"My name's..."

As soon as he grasped the woman's hand his body tensed. His eyes went out of focus, almost to the point where they were black. Veritas leanded over and whispered in Archie's ear.

"By the rays of the dawn, Duke, Brock, Heather, Lena, and you, Archie, will not be able to tell anything but the truth to each other, until the setting of the sun on the night of the new moon."

Veritas released Archie's hand and the boy snapped out of the spell. He shook his head clear.

"What just happened?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"You must have zoned out," Veritas replied. "This heat will do that to a person."

Archie shook his head again. "Felt like someone invaded my mind," he groaned.

"Hallucinations. You must be hearing things. Go sit down and enjoy the meal. It will help."

Archie headed back to the table. Veritas smiled to herself.

"I only hope that they're ready for the truth," she said.

* * *

Let me know what you think. Sorry if anyone seems out of character. Reviews and constructive critisicm is welcome, but, no flames, please.


	8. The Truth Comes Out

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

* * *

The party had ended around midnight.

Archie couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen at sunrise, and he couldn't get that woman out of his head. What was her name? Veritas? Why did that name sound so familiar?

"Archie, we're here."

Archie snapped back to reality when Jay said his name. He opened the door and climbed out. He held out his hand to Atlanta, who took it, and helped her out of the car. One good thing that came out of tonight, he was a lot more comfortable when people called him and Atlanta a couple. And another good thing, he wasn't considered evil anymore, not after demonstrating his "inner gentleman". Some still had the thought, no doubt about it.

The seven friends made their way inside and to their rooms. It only took them a few minutes to get undressed and back to their old selves.

Jay came out of the shower rubbing a towel over his head. "Well, I say that was a successful night," he said.

Archie yanked off his dress shirt and pulled on a pajama shirt.

_"By the rays of the dawn...until the setting of the sun on the night of the new moon."_

"Archie?"

Archie snapped out of his sudden daydream.

"You okay?" Jay asked.

"Uh...yeah," Archie replied.

Jay frowned. His friend was hiding something, which he did quite well.

"Arch, can I talk to you? In private?"

"Sure."

Archie and Jay went out into the hall. The Leader closed the door.

"What was with you tonight?" he whispered.

"What do you mean?" Archie asked softly.

"You weren't...you," Jay replied.

"That makes sense," Archie joked.

"Archie, I'm serious. It looked like you, it sounded like you, but it wasn't you you," Jay explained.

Archie looked away. Jay sighed. Archie didn't need a lecture right now, he needed a friend.

"Were you trying to prove something?"

"Sort of."

"Like what?"

Archie rubbed his arm, something he did when he was nervous.

"I admit I wasn't myself. I guess I wanted to prove to everyone that I was human."

"Archie, you don't have to prove anything to anybody. Isn't it satisfying enough to know what your friends think of you?" Jay asked.

Archie didn't answer right away, nor did he meet Jay's concerned gaze. After a few minutes of silence, Archie sighed.

"Yeah. I realize that now. Sorry."

Jay shrugged. "It's fine. I guess when you live your life trying to reach everyone's standards it's hard to let people know the real you," he said.

"My life in a nutshell," Archie put in.

Jay chuckled. "Come on. It's late and Theresa wants to go back to the Track tomorrow," he said. Archie moaned.

"Do we have too?"

Jay laughed. Archie smiled.

"I couldn't resist," he confessed. "Lena's too much fun not to imitate."

"I don't blame you for doing it. After what she did to you tonight? Whew. Just promise me one thing."

"Yeah?"

"_Never_ revert back to Mr. Perfect, okay?"

"Deal. Living up to the King standard is _not_ my style."

"Good. Now..." Jay cover his mouth as he yawned. "Bed."

Jay opened the door and ran for his bed. He jumped on it. Archie shook his head.

"What?" Jay whispered. "I can't have fun every now and then?"

"Just don't wake Mr. Sunshine," Archie warned in a low voice as he pointed to Neil. "You know how he gets when his beauty sleep is disturbed."

He crawled into bed and snuggled down into his sheets.

" 'Night, Arch."

" 'Night, Jay."

Soon, the steady snores from Herry lulled Archie into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

His peaceful sleep was broken by a series of unholy snoring. Archie groaned and pulled his pillow over his head. Herry's snoring had gotten worse during the night. Over the racket, Archie heard Odie muttering off equations in his sleep, Neil was talking about some modeling contract, and Jay was having some sort of fit. Most likely he was dreaming about fighting Cronus.

_Wouldn't put it past him._

Deciding that he wasn't going to get back to sleep, Archie got out of bed, grabbed his house coat and trudged downstairs. It was so early the sun wasn't even up yet.

_Herry, when we get back to the school you are _so_ dead._

Hushed voices drifted from the kitchen. Archie went to see who it was. Duke and Brock were sitting at the table. Being too tired to care, Archie walked in and headed for the fridge.

"Look who's up," Brock said.

"Hey, twerp. Enjoy your date, last night?" Duke asked.

"Considering," was all Archie said.

The two older brothers looked at each other. Archie took a carton of orange juice from the fridge and went to get a glass.

"So, why are you two up so early?" he asked, taking out a small glass and pouring some juice.

"I always get up before the sunrise," Duke replied.

"Well, you _do_ learn something new everyday," Archie muttered, taking a sip of juice.

_"By the rays of the dawn."_

Archie suddenly spat the juice back into the glass.

"Sunrise?" he exclaimed.

Brock was on his feet and over to the counter in a heart beat. He slapped a hand over his young brother's mouth.

"You want to wake the whole house?" he hissed.

The three brothers looked out the window as the sun peeked over the hills. The first rays of sunlight drifted into the kitchen. Suddenly, the siblings tensed and their eyes flashed a quick silver. Brock fell back and grasped his head. Archie grabbed the counter to keep from falling. Duke laid his head on the table.

"What was that?" Duke asked.

"Oh, my head," Brock moaned.

"Is that what she meant?" Archie asked himself.

Duke and Brock looked at their brother.

"You know somethin' 'bout what just happened?" Duke asked.

"Last night when Misty sang it began to rain. I don't know how, it just did. The water ended up washing the black dye out of my hair and left a mess. So, after Misty finished I went to the washroom to clean up. When I was done I headed back to the table where I was sitting with my friends, only I bumped into this lady. I forget her name now, but I guess it doesn't matter. Then, Duke came along and told me that Mom wanted to see me. I guess the woman saw how irritated I was seeing Brock because she something along the lines of, 'It's a shame you have to force something as wonderful as smile around a family member.' I told her she didn't know my family and she agreed. She then introduced herself. Again, I forget her name. When I went to shake her hand something weird happened, I zoned out, blacked out, or something, but I heard this weird voice say, 'By the rays of dawn...' something something, 'until the setting of the sun on the night of the new moon'. I can't remember what was between those two sentences."

An awkward silence fell over the brothers. Archie's eyes grew wide with horror. He had blurted out, accidently, the very reason they had blacked out.

"I don't feel well," he said. Just then, Heather came into the kitchen.

"I should've known it was you, twerp."

"You're the last person I wanted to see this early in the morning."

Archie slapped a hand over his mouth.

"What did you say?" Heather demanded.

"Something weird happened to him last night," Duke replied.

"And what was that?" Heather asked.

"He met this lady and she did something strange to him," Brock answered.

"She didn't have to do much," Heather pointed out. Archie crossed his arms.

"Well, how was your night, last night?" he asked.

"Boring."

Heather froze. Duke and Archie looked at each other.

"Did you just say your own engagement party was _boring_?" Brock asked.

"I believe her," Archie put in.

Heather grabbed his collar. "What did you do?" she hissed.

"I didn't do anything," Archie insisted.

"I haven't told the truth in ten years," Heather whispered.

Archie snorted a laugh. But then, it died as soon as it had come.

"Did you just say 'truth'?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Archie looked out at the sun again.

"By the rays of the dawn, Duke, Brock, Heather, Lena, and you, Archie, will not be able to tell anything but the truth to each other, until the setting of the sun on the night of the new moon," he whispered.

"What?" Brock asked.

"We're in big trouble," Archie said.

"Not _we_. _You._" Heather snapped, shaking her little brother. "_You're_ in big trouble."

"Heather, you gotta believe me. I'm telling the truth."

"Prove it!" Heather shrieked.

"How?" Archie insisted.

"Where have you been for the past three years?" Duke asked.

"Olympus High School."

Archie bit his tongue. That had come out too easily.

"Doing what?" Heather asked. Archie bit harder.

_Don't say it!_ his mind screamed at him.

"Studying."

That hadn't been a complete lie. He _was_ studying...to fight Cronus. But, he wasn't going to tell his siblings that. They didn't need to know the _whole_ truth. Did they?

"Studying _what_?"

"Fighting techniques. Shoot," Archie spat.

"For what?" Heather pressed. Archie covered his mouth.

"Cronus."

"What was that?"

Archie shook his head violently. "No! No! No! No! No!" he yelled at himself.

"C'mon, Heather, leave the kid alone," Duke spoke up.

"He could knock you flat if he wanted. I've seen him fight, he's scary," Brock confessed.

Heather looked at her brothers. Archie was both amazed and shocked. It was a lot easier to believe his brothers and sister now that he knew what had happened to them. But, they weren't the ones sworn to keep a precious secret. He had three years of training with Greek gods under his belt. He couldn't go confessing what he had been doing for those three years just because of some stupid spell. Cassie was bad enough. She had found out on her own. Good thing Theresa had wiped her memory.

"Come on, guys, we have the perfect opportunity to finally find out what our runt of a brother has been up to," Heather reasoned.

"If you think I'm going to spill my guts to the likes of _you_, you have another thing coming," Archie snapped. "I'd just as soon tell Cronus where the gods are." He gasped and slapped his hands over his mouth again.

Heather, Brock and Duke slowly looked at Archie.

"Come again?" Duke asked.

Just then, Lena walked in.

"Oh, is this pick on the runt day?" she asked cheerfully.

"No, we're just having a confession," Brock replied with a weak smile.

"Ew," Lena said. "Telling the truth is for wimps."

"Speaking of wimps. Archie just gave us a valuable piece of info and we missed it," Heather whined, shaking Archie again.

"Would you stop doing that? I'm getting sick," he snapped.

"Now, that you mentioned it...did anyone else feel extremely lightheaded when the sun came up?" Lena asked.

_Here I go, again,_ Archie thought. "It was because last night some lady put a spell on me that not only made me tell the truth but also the four of you."

Lena went pale.

"Wh-what?"

_It's true what they say, the truth _does_ hurt._

"Why us? What did we do?" Lena cried.

"_We_ didn't do anything. _He_ is the one that should pay," Heather said.

"What did I do?" Archie asked, finally pushing his older sister away.

"You were _always _our parents' favorite. They were always talking about how...urgh..._perfect_ you were," Heather said.

"Me? Their favorite? Ha! That's a joke. Mom and Dad were embarrassed to call me their son. I was a messanger from Hades, remember? You four were the perfect ones. Duke and Brock had the muscle, Lena had the looks, and you had the brains. What did I get? Immunity that cost me my childhood and a weak heel."

"You were their perfect child, Archie! The only reason they kept you locked up inside was because of that stupid heel of yours!" Heather yelled.

"Calm down, Heather. You're going to wake up the whole house," Duke said, getting up and walking over to where Brock and Lena were standing.

Heather's and Archie's eyes were locked. He saw something in his sister's eyes that he hadn't seen before. Her eyes were burning with...was it...jealousy? It couldn't be towards him, could it? He was the Hades child. Evil. How could his parents favour a son with invincibility that gave them a bad name and a weak heel?

"Is this a bad time?"

The King siblings looked towards the kitchen door. Herry, Odie, Jay, Neil, Atlanta and Theresa were standing in the doorway. The looks on their faces reflected the awkwardness of the scene before them. Finally, Archie spoke.

"We were just...getting to know each other," he told his teammates.

Smiling weakly, Heather headed for the stairs. "I...uh...have to get a shower," she said quickly.

And with that, she ran back up to her room. Lena followed shortly after.

"I have to get at my work out," Duke put in. He went up to his room as well. That only left Brock and Archie. The bigger brother rubbed his neck nervously. It was kind of like Archie's habit of rubbing his arm when he was nervous.

"So, uh...Arch? Would you mind showing me some of those fighting moves of yours?"

Archie blinked in surprise.

"Sure," he replied with a sincere smile. "But, after brunch, okay?"

"Brunch?" Herry echoed, happily.

"Yes, Herry, brunch," Archie repeated.

As his friends helped to set the table, Archie began getting things ready. Apart from fighting skills from Ares, he had picked up some cooking tricks from watching Athena. She had been secretly teaching him how to cook, though it was mostly breakfast. As Archie warmed up the stove he found he couldn't decide what had surprised him the most. The fact that he now knew that Heather was genuinely jealous of him, or that in a few hours time he would be in the backyard teaching Brock how to fight. With a sigh, Archie cracked an egg on the edge of the frying pan and released the yoke. The yoke and egg whites sizzled merrily on the hot surface. He would figure it out some other time.

* * *

What do you think? Reviews are welcome, flames are useless.


	9. The Truth Hurts

"I never thought I'd be thankful for an immortal's curse," Archie said.

He dodged around Jay and ran for the net. He tossed the ball into the air and it went through the hoop.

"Why do you say that?" Jay asked as he caught the ball.

The Leader and Warrior were having a one-on-one match at the park's basketball court. It had been the only quiet place they could find.

"I'm not the only one who has dark secrets," Archie pointed out, blocking Jay's path to the net.

Jay threw the ball in the air. It hit off the rim of the hoop and strayed off course.

"Everyone has some form of dark secret, Arch," Jay answered.

Archie walked over to where the ball lay in the grass and picked it up. He stared down at the orange and black rubber in his hands.

"Archie?"

"Why would Heather be jealous of me?" Archie wondered aloud.

Jay frowned. "Come again?"

"When people found out about my abilities they said that my parents must have done something wrong to bring a curse up on the family," Archie explained.

"They don't know about your ancestry," Jay told his friend.

"Even if they did, would they have treated me different?" Archie asked, turning to face Jay. "Be honest. Would they?"

"I honestly can't tell you that," Jay confessed. "I guess we'll never know."

"I guess not," Archie agreed. He tossed the ball lightly in his hands. "Oh, well."

Jay was almost knocked off his feet as the Warrior zoomed past him. He jumped into the air and forced the ball through the hoop.

"It's fun being the odd one out," Archie said.

* * *

Atlanta drummed her fingers against the armrest of the chair. She stared at the clock with a bored expression. Three hours in a bridal shop was enough to make anyone crazy. Theresa was fast asleep in the chair next to her. Mrs. King and Lena were in the chairs opposite them. Heather was in another room trying on different dresses.

_When will the torture end?_ Atlanta thought.

As if to answer her question, the doors to the fitting room opened and Heather walked out. Atlanta hit Theresa in the arm, effectively waking the Fighter up.

"I'm up. I'm up," Theresa announced, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing much," Atlanta muttered.

"What about this one?" Heather asked.

Lena's bottom jaw tightened, indicating that she was clamping down on her tongue. Atlanta and Theresa looked at each other. No one had explained what had happened that morning before breakfast. Archie had disappeared before Atlanta had the chance to talk to him. Jay had also vanished. Odie, Neil and Herry had left for the track without telling the girls, leaving them to fend for themselves dress hunting with Mrs. King and her daughters.

"Lena, what do you think?" Mrs. King asked.

Lena bit down harder on her tongue. She shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you all right, dear?" her mother wanted to know. Lena nodded. "Then, offer your opinion."

Heather felt her heart drop. "Uh...Mother, I don't think Lena's opinion really matters," she said.

"No, because everything you've tried on so far has made you look like an elephant," Lena blurted out. She gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth.

Though she knew the cause of the comment, it didn't make it hurt any less. Mrs. King looked from one daughter to the next with a shocked expression on her face. Theresa got to her feet and walked over to Lena.

"Maybe, we should go for a walk," she suggested.

The two girls headed out the door. Lena gave Heather an apologetic look before she left.

"I'm sure she didn't mean that," Atlanta told Heather.

Heather looked at her reflection in the mirror. No, Lena was right. How could she not be?

"Is it really that bad?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Maybe a different design," Atlanta offered. "All the dresses you've tried have been...poofy...for a lack of a better word."

Heather and Mrs. King looked at her in amazement.

"Theresa and Neil are always giving fashion advice. It was bound to rub off," Atlanta explained.

Meanwhile, Theresa and Lena were looking through the different stores that dominated the mall.

"I'm such an idiot," Lena moaned.

"No, you're not," Theresa argued.

"I shouldn't have said that," Lena continued. "But, I couldn't stop myself."

Theresa found the chance to ask the question that had been bugging her all day.

"Lena?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened this morning?"

Lena looked at the psychic. "What do you mean?"

"What was with all the yelling?"

Lena swallowed. She was afraid to say anything, in fear that the truth might slip out. But, Archie had said that the spell was only between the five of them. So, they could get away with lying to everyone else, except their siblings.

"We always fight," Lena finally replied. "It started when we found out that something was wrong with Archie."

"Archie is perfectly normal," Theresa defended.

"You call not being able to get sick normal?" Lena asked.

Theresa bit her bottom lip and looked away. Lena didn't press the matter.

"Anyway, it just got worse as we grew older. Soon, it came as naturally as breathing. We couldn't go a full day without having at least one argument. Sometimes, they escalated to full blown brawls. That was the reason why Father had Archie's brace re-enforced."

"What happened?" Theresa asked.

"Duke crushed Archie's ankle. He said it was an accident, but the way he snapped it..." Lena shuddered. "It wasn't an accident. He did it on purpose."

Theresa's eyes went wide. "What kind of brother would do that?"

"A jealous one," Lena pointed out. "We were all jealous. Archie was the perfect one. The only thing wrong with him was his heel."

Just then, Lena's cell phone rang. She took it out and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

Theresa walked over to a bench and sat down to wait. She must have zoned out because she jumped when Lena tapped her on the shoulder.

"You okay?" Lena asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. You just startled me, that's all."

"Well, Mother wants us back at the bridal store," Lena said.

Theresa stood up and the girls made their way back to the store.

"What do you think?" Mrs. King asked when they walked in.

Heather wore a strapless dress that flowed gently to the floor. The bottom half of the dress glittered whenever she moved.

"It's beautiful," Theresa and Lena said in unison.

Heather beamed. "Atlanta picked it out."

Theresa looked at the Huntress. Atlanta just offered her a shrug.

"So, you really think it's nice?" Heather asked.

"You look beautiful," Lena told her.

Heather's smile grew wider. "Do you think I should get it?"

"Yes," all the women in the store answered.

Heather leaned over to her sister. "Maybe this truth spell isn't such a bad thing, after all," she whispered.

"How so?" Lena whispered back.

"You're a lot more easier to trust," Heather joked.

* * *

What do you think? Worth continuing? Reviews are welcome, flames are worthless.


End file.
